Quarry Products

Demand for decorative paving in Europe means significant quantities are now sourced from India but production is not always managed ethically. Lisa Russell reports on how Marshalls has taken a stance to bring about change. If a product's outstandingly cheap price looks too good to be true then there is probably a catch. And if that ultra-cheap product is paving made from Indian sandstone then the catch is likely to be that it has been sourced with scant regard to ethics or the environment. Many of the tho

Scotland-based Leiths has been given consent to expand its Achilty Quarry near Contin by 4.5ha, giving access to 3million tonnes of aggregates over the next 25 years. The permission was granted on the basis of working time limits and the formation of a community liaison group.

If it is true that a cat has nine lives, then one UK quarry's Cat wheeled loader has just regained a few following a complete refurbishment programme to rejuvenate the machine instead of replacing it. The Caterpillar 972G wheeled loader had provided six years of service at Hanson's Barton Quarry near Burton on Trent but the previous service had showed the machine was in need of an overhaul or replacement. Hanson opted to put the machine through Cat's rebuild programme - the first time the company has taken

UK-based Grundon has applied for permission to expand its sand and gravel extraction at Old Kiln Quarry in Chieveley, Berkshire. The company has said that it wants to expand its operation at the quarry in preparation for an upturn in the UK aggregates market. The application covers a 38ha area, which would give access to 70,000tonnes of sand over the next 10 to 11 years.

Portugal-based Lafarge Agrigados has announced plans to expands its quarry in Alenquer from 7ha to almost 25ha in a bid to ramp up production to 1million tonnes per year. An environmental impact study is understood to support the expansion and not show any increased impact from the plans, which would extend the quarry’s life by 14 years.

Eurovia will have to sell six aggregate quarries in France in order for the company’s acquisition of Tarmac to go ahead, according to the French competition authority. Eurovia has reported that the sale of the assets is already underway but no date has been set for the completion of the transaction with Tarmac.

Lafarge has re-applied to extend its 200ha quarry in Moisson-Freneuse in Ile-de-France by 65ha in a bid to access a further 6million tonnes of aggregates. The company’s original application was turned down on the basis that the area was classified as a national monument but Lafarge is now seeking special permission as it claims the reserves are vital to meet regional demand.

Europe's largest mobile crushers are helping to process greywacke in County Tipperary, Ireland. County Tipperary in Ireland may not seem a likely place for records to be set but it currently holds the title for the largest mobile crushing and screening plant in Europe. Latteragh Quarry took delivery of what is believed to be the largest and most powerful track-mounted mobile crushing and screening plant in Europe last year.

The cement plant jointly operated by Strabag and Lafarge in Umin Trbovlje, Slovenia has been ordered to stop work by environmental officials. The order follows a decision by the Slovenian administrative court which denied Lafarge the licence necessary for waste combustion to power the plant.